Shooting garment with freely suspended belt and pockets



R. E. ALLEN 3,354,470

SHOOTING GARMENT WITH FREELY SUSPENDED BELT AND POCKETS Nov. 28, 1967 Filed March 25, 1966 INVENTOR. ROBERT E. ALLEN BY 1 2/ Q ATWENEY United States Patent 3,354,470 SHOOTING GARMENT WITH FREELY SUSPENDED BELT AND POCKETS Robert E. Allen, 214 SW. Jackson St., Des Moines, Iowa 50315 Filed Mar. 25, 1966, Ser. No. 537,568 9 Claims. (Cl. 2-94) ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A shooting garment having aperture means formed therein at waist level with a belt passing freely through said aperture means to provide a central rear belt section disposed interiorly of the garment and a forward belt section disposed exteriorly thereof. Game pocket means are freely supported and slidably mounted upon the forward section of the belt so that the weight of game within the pockets is supported entirely by the belt and not by the garment itself.

This invention relates to apparel such as a shooting garment, and in particular it relates to a shooting garment incorporating a freely suspended belt and pocket construction.

Shooting garments, such as a shooting coat or a shooting vest, are well known items which are widely used by hunters, marksmen, skeet and trapshooters, and the like.

Such garments generally include a shoulder pad against which a rifle butt can abut and one or more enlarged game receiving pockets. One of the difiiculties previously encountered in shooting garments of this type was that the weight of the items placed within the game pockets hung freely downward, thereby causing considerable weight to be applied to the shooting garment itself, thus making it uncomfortable for the wearer, and, to some degree, impeding his freedom of movement. This problem was in part solved by invention set forth in US. Patent No. 2,948,848, dated Aug. 16, 1960, wherein the belt on the shooting garment was used to support the weight of the game pockets, thereby eliminating to some degree, the problems previously encountered in the prior art.

However, while my aforementioned prior patent did solve the problem to some degree, there were still some undesirable aspects which were not totally overcome thereby. For example, in most shooting garments, the pockets are formed as an integral part of the garment and are hence attached thereto. Since pockets of this general type are rather large, deep and expandable, the pockets themselves are somewhat unattractive in appearance and are somewhat bulky in size. In many instances,

the wearer might not want to utilize the pockets, but since such pockets were always attached to the garment in the past, the wearer had little choice but to accept the pockets along with the garment itself. Another consideration in prior art garments of this type was that the pockets were generally fixed in position upon the garment with one or more pockets being disposed on each side of the garment. Of course, since such pockets were fixed to the garment, they could not be moved with respect thereto and thus the user could not position such pockets at a location which he found to be most comfortable. In short, prior art forms of shooting garments, even as improved by the invention set forth in my aforementioned patent, nevertheless had certain undesirable aspects associated with the pockets thereof.

With the foregoing in mind, it is, therefore, an object of the present invention to overcome any difficulties and deficiencies associated with prior art forms of shooting --garments, and to provide in their stead, a new and improved shooting garment having an improved belt and pocket construction.

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Another object of the present invention is to provide a shooting garment having a belt means which is completely free from any fixed connection with the garment itself and which is hence adjustable with respect thereto and, if desired, readily removable therefrom.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a shooting garment having a freely mounted belt means and having enlarged pockets freely suspended along such belt means, with such pockets being slidably adjustable to any desired position.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a shooting garment having a new and improved belt means having freely suspended pockets thereupon, with such belt means serving to fully support the weight of such pockets so that none of such weight is applied to the garment itself.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a shooting garment having a new and improved belt and pocket assembly which can be utilized in connection with such garment, and which, if desired, can be completely removed therefrom when the use thereof is not necessary.

Other objects, advantages and salient features of the present invention will become apparent from the following detailed description, which, taken in conjunction with the annexed drawings, discloses a preferred embodiment thereof.

Referring to the drawings:

FIGURE 1 is a front elevational view of a shooting garment in accordance with the principles of the present invention;

FIGURE 2 is a front elevational view, similar to FIG- URE 1, but with the garment being partially spread open to reveal the interior thereof;

FIGURE 3 is a fragmentary perspective view looking in the direction of the arrows 33 of FIGURE 1; and,

FIGURE 4 is a sectional view taken substantially along the line 4-4 of FIGURE 3.

With continued reference to the drawings, the invention shown therein generally includes a new and improved shooting garment generally designated 10, such garment including a body portion generally designated 12, a belt means generally designated 14 and pocket means general- 1y designated 16.

The body portion 12 includes a back panel 18 which can include a laterally extending seam 20 at approximately waist level therealong, as shown in FIGURE 2. The back panel 18 may be interfolded at the seam 20 to provide a pair of spaced apart upstanding pleats 22 along the back of the body portion 12, thereby providing the wearer with the desired freedom of movement necessary for a garment of this type.

The body portion 12 also includes a pair of similar front panels 24, having confronting inner side edges 26 which can be removably coupled with one another by a conventional slide fastener 28. The outer side edges of the front panels 24 are joined with the side edges of the back panel 18, thereby forming vertically extending side pleats which are designated 30, and extend from a wearers armpit to the bottom of the garment 10.

One of the front panels 24 preferably carries a pad 32 at shoulder level thereupon, against which a user can rest the butt of a rifle. Naturally, as is conventional, the upper portions of the back panel 18 and front panels 24 are configured to form armholes through which the users arms extend when the body portion 12 is worn. In the form of invention shown herein, the garment 10 is formed as a shooting coat, and hence includes a pair of sleeves 34- which cover the wearers arms. However, for purposes of the present invention, the garment 10 could also be formed as a shooting vest, in which case the sleeves 34 would be eliminated. I

An aperture means 36 is formed alongeachside of the garment at approximately waist level along the side seam 36. Such aperture means 36 takes the form of an elongated slot having a size suificient to permit passage of the belt means 14.

The belt means 14 is formed as an elongated band 38 fabricated of webbing or any other suitable material. In general, it may be said that the belt means has a center section which forms the back portion of the belt and a pair of end sections which together form the front portion of the belt, as such belt is encircled about a wearers waist. Releasable coupling or connecting means, generally designated 49, are provided along the central section of the band 38 and at the ends thereof where such ends join together at the front of the garment. The releasable coupling means includes a first member 42 which can be manually fastened to and unfastened from a second member 4-4. The present invention is in no way limited to any precise form of coupling means, and instead, any suitable form may be utilized such as snaps, fasteners, hook and eye means, the form of fastener shown herein, or any other satisfactory form of fastener means. Adjustable means 46 may be provided along the belt, preferably upon the center section thereof, so that the belt may be properly adjusted to fit each particular wearers waist size.

When both releasable coupling means 40 are attached together, it will be seen that the belt means 14 forms a continuous belt band which extends about the wearers waist. The back half of such belt is located interiorly of the body portion 12 adjacent the back panel 18. However, the end portions thereof project through the slot means 36 and hence extend across the exterior of the front panels 24, to join together in the manner shown in FIGURE 1. It is important to note that the belt means 14 is in no Way sewn or attached with the body portion 12 of the garment but instead, is merely freely assembled therewith, solely by means of passage through the slot or aperture means 36.

Referring now to the game pockets 16, it will be seen from FIGURES 1 and 3 that such pockets include a back face 50 which extends downwardly to form an accordion pleat 52 and then extends back upwardly in the form of a front face 54. Side accordion pleats 56 may also be provided thereby assuring that the front face 54 and back face 50 can be relatively expanded with respect to one another to permit carrying of game or other items within the pockets 16. The back face 50 extends above the upper edge of the front face 54 and is folded over upon itself at 58 and attached by stitching 60 to thereby form a laterally extending passage 62 along the top of the pockets 16. The belt band 38 extends through this passage 62 and thereby serves to suspend each pocket 16 so that the same is slidable along the band 38 as indicated by the arrows in FIGURE 3.

In the form shown in the drawings, which is the preferred form of invention, two game pockets 16 are provided, with one such pocket being provided on each end portion of the belt band 38 as the same projects exteriorly of the body portion 12 through the slot means 36. Thus, each game pocket can individually he slid along its supporting belt portion thereby permitting some adjustment of the position of the pockets themselves. The maximum rearward adjustment of either pocket is when one edge of the pocket is adjusted to the side seam 30 of the body portion. Naturally, the pockets 16 cannot be moved any further rearwardly since at the side seam 30, the belt band 38 passes through the narrow slot or aperture means 36 and enters the interior of the garment 10. If desired, the entire pocket 16 can be removed from the belt band 38 merely by opening the coupling means 40 at the front of the belt and by sliding the pocket 16 past the end of the belt which carries-the coupling member 42 or 44. The pockets 16 are preferably fabricated of some synthetic plastic or leather material of a waterproof and washable nature.

It should be understood that the present invention pro- 4.- vides a unique construction wherein both the belt means 14 and the game pockets 16 suspended therefrom are free from any fixed attachment with the body portion 12 of the garment 10. The belt means, as aforesaid, is positioned with respect to the garment only by means of the location of the slot or aperture means 36. The pockets 16 are themselves in no manner connected with the body portion 12 of the garment, and instead, are freely suspended by the belt means 14 and are slidable and adjustable in position along the extent of the belt means. Thus, the entire weight of the pockets 16 and any items carried therein is borne solely by the belt means 14, and is in no manner whatsoever borne by the body portion 12 of the garment 10. By releasing the front coupling means 14, the pockets 16 can be removed when their use is not desired, and the garment 10 will then merely have a belt 14 extending about the wearers waist, without any unattractive game pockets being provided. Moreover, if desired, the entire belt means 14 can be removed merely by releasing both of the coupling means 14. This then would provide the wearer with a freely hanging jacket having no belt means whatsoever.

It should, of course, be appreciated that the particular construction of the body portion 12 can be varied from that described herein without in any way changing the material and important aspects of the invention. For example, it might be desired to use elastic side bands connected between the side edges of the back panel and the front panels. With the use of such elastic bands, the garment could more tightly conform to the wearers body contours. However, even in such event, so long as the aperture means 36 were provided along the sides of the garment, the belt means 14 and pockets 16 would operate in the manner described hereinabove, and accordingly, the construction would be in accordance with the spirit and scope of the present invention.

By providing one coupling means 40 along the center of the band 38 and another coupling means 40 at the ends thereof, it is assured that the pockets alone or the pockets and belt can readily be removed. If only the front coupling means 40 is opened, the pockets 16 can be slid off the band 38 and the band can nevertheless still remain in position on the garment. On the other hand, if both the front and the rear coupling means 40 are opened, the belt can be removed entirely from the garment, with one pocket 16 still remaining in position on each half of the belt.

After reading the foregoing detailed description, it should be apparent that the objects set forth at the outset of the specification have been successfully achieved by the present invention. What is claimed is: 1. A shooting garment comprising: a body portion having aperture means at each side thereof substantially at the wearers waist level;

said body portion further including a pad positioned on the upper forward portion thereof at the wearers shoulder level to permit the butt of a rifle to abut thereagainst;

belt means formed as an elongated band having a central section and a pair of end sections;

said central section being freely disposed interiorly of said body portion;

one of said end sections passing through each of said aperture means and thereby being freely disposed exteriorly of said body portion;

an enlarged game pocket slidably mounted upon each of said end sections; and,

means for releasably coupling said end sections with one another to thereby form a continuous belt extending about the'wearers Waist, the back portion of said belt extending freely across the inside of the back of said body portion and the front portion of said belt extending freely across the outside of the front of said body portion;

each of said game pockets including a rearward wall having slot means formed therein with one of said end sections extending through said slot means so that said pocket is freely supported upon and slidably mounted along said belt front portion;

each of said game pockets further including a front wall spaced from said rearward wall to define an open-topped chamber into which game can readily be inserted.

2. A shooting garment comprising:

a body portion having aperture means at each side thereof substantially at the wearers waist level;

belt means formed as an elongated band having a central section and a pair of end sections;

said central section being freely disposed interiorly of said body portion;

one of said end sections passing through each of said aperture means and thereby being freely disposed exteriorly of said body portion;

an enlarged game pocket slidably mounted upon each of said end sections; and,

means for releasably coupling said end sections with one another to thereby form a continuous belt extending about the wearers waist, the back portion of said belt extending freely across the inside of the back of said body portion and the front portion of said belt extending freely across the outside of the front of said body portion;

said game pockets being freely supported upon and slidably mounted along said belt front portion;

said belt means including separable connection means provided along the central section thereof, whereby when said connection means is separated, said entire belt means and said game pockets can be removed from said body portion.

3. A shooting garment as defined in claim 2 wherein said belt means is completely free from connection with said body portion and is positioned with respect thereto solely by said aperture means.

4. A shooting garment as defined in claim 2 further including adjustable means along said central section for adjusting the size of said belt means to fit the wearers waist.

5. A shooting garment as defined in claim 2 wherein each of said game pockets includes a laterally extending passage adjacent the top thereof and wherein one of said end sections extends through said passage, thereby freely and slidably mounting said game pocket to said belt means.

6. A shooting garment as defined in claim 1 wherein said body portion includes a back panel and a pair of front panels, one of said front panels being joined to each side edge of said back panel.

7. A shooting garment as defined in claim 6 wherein said aperture means are provided where a front panel joins with said back panel.

8. A shooting garment as defined in claim 1 wherein said belt means is completely free from connection with said body portion and is positioned with respect thereto solely by said aperture means.

9. A shooting garment as defined in claim 1 further including adjustable means along said central section for adjusting the size of said belt means to fit the wearers waist.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 682,890 11/1952 Great Britain.

JORDAN FRANKLIN, Primary Examiner.

RICHARD J. SCANLAN, 111., Examiner. 

1. A SHOOTING GARMENT COMPRISING: A BODY PORTION HAVING APERTURE MEANS AT EACH SIDE THEREOF SUBSTANTIALLY AT THE WEARER''S WAIST LEVEL; SAID BODY PORTION FURTHER INCLUDING A PAD POSITIONED ON THE UPPER FORWARD PORTION THEREOF AT THE WEARER''S SHOULDER LEVEL TO PERMIT THE BUTT OF A RIFLE TO ABUT THEREAGAINST; BELT MEANS FORMED AS AN ELONGATED BAND HAVING A CENTRAL SECTION AND A PAIR OF END SECTIONS; SAID CENTRAL SECTION BEING FREELY DISPOSED INTERIORLY OF SAID BODY PORTION; ONE OF SAID END SECTIONS PASSING THROUGH EACH OF SAID APERTURE MEANS AND THEREBY BEING FREELY DISPOSED EXTERIORLY OF SAID BODY PORTION; AN ENLARGED GAME POCKET SLIDABLY MOUNTED UPON EACH OF SAID END SECTIONS; AND, MEANS FOR RELEASABLY COUPLING SAID END SECTION WITH ONE ANOTHER TO THEREBY FORM A CONTINUOUS BELT EXTENDING ABOUT THE WEARER''S WAIST, THE BACK PORTION OF SAID BELT EXTENDING FREELY ACROSS THE INSIDE OF THE BACK OF SAID BODY PORTION AND THE FRONT PORTION OF SAID BELT EXTENDING FREELY ACROSS THE OUTSIDE OF THE FRONT OF SAID BODY PORTION; EACH OF SAID GAME POCKETS INCLUDING A REARWARD WALL HAVING SLOT MEANS FORMED THEREIN WITH ONE OF SAID END SECTIONS EXTENDING THROUGH SAID SLOT MEANS SO THAT SAID POCKET IS FREELY SUPPORTED UPON AND SLIDABLY MOUNTED ALONG SAID BELT FRONT PORTION; EACH OF SAID GAME POCKETS FURTHER INCLUDING A FRONT WALL SPACED FROM SAID REARWARD WALL TO DEFINE AN OPEN-TOPPED CHAMBER INTO WHICH GAME CAN READILY BE INSERTED. 